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Wednesday, April 18, 2012

So, you know Jonah has a great love for animals, right? Especially the reptilian kind. He's had Squirt, the three-legged Bearded Dragon, for a couple of years now, and we love her dearly. As strange as I find it to admit, it's true. I have as much affection for a lizard as I imagine I'd have for a puppy or kitten. So anyway, Squirt is wonderful, but Jonah isn't the sort of person to be happy with the wonder of something he's had for awhile. He craves newness, excitement (something we're trying to curb, as we think it speaks of discontent, but that's another story).Awhile ago, he started campaigning for another reptile, a ball python. I hear python and I think killer snake, but he assures me they only grow to be about 4 feet. That's about 3 feet and 11.99 inches too long for me. I put my foot down and refused, absolutely refused. It's my house (ahem, sorry Clint, but you get the garage and shed) and I'm not about to welcome a snake into it. I told him he could have one when he moves out, but I might never visit him.He pouted awhile and seemed content to let the "I need a new reptile" phase die out.But then a few days ago, the desire returned. Mysteriously, this happened right after he went to the pet store. Hmm...Anyway, this time, he wanted something much more palatable: another lizard. But still, we wanted him to prove that he could afford it and care for it and find space for it.So, we did what we've always done: challenged him to research the pet he wanted, finding out all about its habits and diet and habitat, and present us with his proposal.A few days later, he came to us with a list of notes. This is the gist of what he said (or at least what I got out of it):A basilisk lizard is the pet I want. It grows to be zzzzzzzzz long and it eats crickets. It comes from zzzzzzzzz and likes zzzzzzzzzzzz habitats. It needs a tank zzzzzzzz big and damp substrate. I'll need zzzzzz lamps and zzzzzzzzzzz to put down for the substrate. It's made out of coconuts. I'll need to decorate the tank, but I can do that later when I've saved up more money.We asked him why he wants a basilisk lizard; he said he wants one because "they're so cool" (as if all lizards aren't cool in his mind) and later he added this: "Plus, when I become a herpetologist, I can say I had a Jesus Christ lizard."Yeah, that's right: this lizard can run so fast, it looks like it's walking on water.So, the next day, Jonah and Clint went to the pet store and this is who they came home with:

Jonah says that judging by its anal pore (how does he even know this?), it's a male. When Jonah brought him home in a brown paper bag, he brought him right over to the couch, where I was sitting with Jared, who had been feeling rather sick. He opened the bag and we peeked inside to see JC peering at us. Jonah reached in to try to pick him up, and he went crazy, skittering around in the bag.

We worried a bit that he was going to be too skittish to handle for awhile. Jonah got his cage set up within a few hours and put him in it. Now, just 24 hours later, JC seems right at home. He likes to hang out on his leaves and just look around. Jonah has already handled him, and he's been quite calm perched in Jonah's hand.

The only one who isn't happy to meet him is Squirt. Jonah showed our new addition to her before putting JC in his new tank, and Squirt closed her eyes and then crawled into her hide, leaving her backside and silent tail hanging out in reprimand.